Improvement in seed-planters



UNITED STATES SAMUEL R. HAWLEY, OF OD'IN, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEED-PhANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,118; dated November19, 1878; application filed October 5, 1878.

To all whom it may concern: I.

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. HAWLEY, of Odin, in the county of Marionand State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement inSeed-Planters; and I do hereby declare that the following, is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of thesame, reference being had to the annexed drawings, makingapart of thisspecification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a longitudinal centralsection of my seed-planter. Fig. 2 is a top-plan view of the same, andFig. 3 is a detail View.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a seed-planter, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

The annexed drawings, to which reference is made, fully illustrate myinvention.

A represents the frame of my planter. constructed in any suitablemanner, and provided with hearings or journal-boxes, in which the axle Brotates, said axle being provided with the driving-wheels O G. One ofthese wheels is fast on the axle, while the other wheel is loose andconnected to it by a slide or key, a, or a clutch, or in any other knownor convenient manner, so that it can be easily disconnected in turning,&c.

D D represent the seed-hoppers, with chutes or conductors E E extendingdownward, as shown.

Back of each hopper D, and directly over the axle B, is pivoted avertical lever, F, the lower end of which is actuated by lugs orknockers b on the axle. There may be one or more of these lugs for eachlever, according to the distance desired between the hills, this being,of course, measured by the size of the driving-wheels.

In a mortise in the upper portion of the lever F is pivoted a valve, d,which extends forward in the bottom of the hopper, beneath theadjustable plate 6 On top of the bottom of the hopper is a plate, 0,with a seed aperture through it. This plate will, in a full-sizedmachine, be made adjustable, so as to increase. or diminish the size ofthe feed-opening", and thus regulate the amount or size of seed to besown. Above the plate 0 is a cut-off, h, connected by a spring-rod, i,with the lever F.

It will thus be seen that the valve and cutoff move simultaneously bythe movement of the lever F.

k is a spring to retract the lever after it has been acted upon by thelug or knocker 1).

During the operation a certain number of grains pass through the plate 6onto the valve, and as the lever is operated the cut-off prevents anymore from passing down, while the valveat the same time discharges thegrains previously left on it.

G is the drivers seat, supported from the main frame. In front of theseat Gris pivoted a lever, H,the lower end of which is, by a rod, m,connected with a cross-bar, J, and to each end of this cross-bar isattached a bar, I, which extends forward in rear of the lever F andbelow its pivot-point. By these means the levers F F can be thrownbeyond the reach of the knockers on the axle, so that the machine may bemoved without depositing any grain. This is of great importance forsetting'the machine properly at the beginning of the rows.

Still farther in front of the drivers seat is a lever, L, to operateagainst a cross-bar, M, connecting the drills N N for adjusting thelatter to the required position.

In front of the drills N are adjustable circular cutters O O, to be usedin foul ground for cutting stalks or othertrash, and thus prevent thedrills or openers N from becoming clogged. The drills are followedin'rear by the coverers P P, two to each row.

R represents a brake or lever, to be applied on the axle'for locking thesame. a n are markers attached to the driving wheels, for

making indentations in the ground to indicate the hills.

The drill N isslottedat t to receive the lower end of the drill-tenderN, which is pivoted therein. The drill-tender N. is also slotted at a,extends upward, and is pivoted by a pin, t, between the bars of-theframe A.

By this construction of drill the same will rise out of the ground topass over obstructions, and not catch under roots and the like,

necessitating the backing of the machine. When the obstruction is passedthe drill immediately sinks to its former position.

1' am aware that the patent to Starrett & Keal, May 12, 1874, shows aconstruction wherein an arm is reciprocated by means of a double camsecured on the axle, which strikes the rear end of the arm and pushes itforward, thus forcing forward two arms pivoted at right angles, andthey, in turn, draw back the seed-slide, thus discharging the seed intothe drill-tube, and then to the ground. The arm is retracted by acoil-spring. This construction I do not claim.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a seed-planter, the combination of the pivoted lever F, providedwith the short pivoted slide d, and the spring t, provided with thecut-off h, extending beyond the slide d, operated by the knockers b band the retracting-spring k, with the hopperD, substantially of twowitnesses.

SAMUEL R. HAWLEY. Witnesses:

G. A. WALKER, NATHAN B. LANE.

